BEFORE YOU EXECUTE any golf shot,
you must fix in your mind the alignments that your
body and club will have during the impact and separation
phase of your downstroke. By understanding and mentally
establishing these six key alignments, you will
become a better ball striker than you ever thought
possible.
CLUBFACE TO TARGET
LINE
Here, you focus on understanding just how the clubface
moves in relation to the target line. If you are
moving from the inside when approaching the ball,
the clubface will impact the inside left quadrant
of the ball with an open clubface. The ball will
deform on the face of the club, and the club will
begin to move down the target line.
To fix this position, you must understand that
the clubface is moving from the inside, attacking
the inside aft of the ball with an open clubface,
or the result will be a shot that moves too far
to the left.
GRIP TO CLUBFACE
The true positioning of the grip can only be taken
in the impact position if the arms naturally hang
down by your sides. This means that the left-hand
grip always wants to return to this position naturally.
So, if you have your hands in an abnormal position
at address, then you will have to make a manipulation
not to move the ball in a certain direction.
HANDS TO BALL
The hand-to-ball relationship is important for the
best type of release possible. The left hand controls
the clubface, while the right hand controls the
clubhead. Together they control the release motion
of the club through the ball, programming all key
elements of directional and distance control.
You can educate your hands by going to the pitching
green and hitting shots one-handed. This will help
you learn how the left hand helps to control the
direction of the ball and how the right hand controls
the trajectory of the ball’s flight. Step
back and hit 10-yard pitch shots until you can better
control your impact and its alignments once and
for all.
PLANE ANGLE
Establishing the correct impact angle of the clubshaft
is vital to becoming a true ball striker. During
the impact interval, the whole clubshaft should
remain as close to its original angle at address
as possible. If you understand what the proper plane
angle should be through the ball, then you will
always be able to monitor the feelings of the proper
downswing.
PRESSURE POINTS
Pressure must drive the left arm and clubshaft into
the impact zone or there will not be any power supplied
to the ball. With the proper alignments, you should
feel pressure in four places — the right hand
(where it covers the left thumb), the last three
fingers of the left hand, the right forefinger on
the shaft, and where your left arm presses against
the left side of your chest. These four pressure
points help you to drive the clubshaft most efficiently
through the impact interval. Remember, without pressure
there is no power.
THE RIGHT FOREARM
POSITION
The position of the right forearm is vital for controlling
the clubshaft, delaying the release and programming
more solid impact alignments. If your right forearm
comes in too high and above the clubshaft plane
line, then you will hit weak shots due to the fact
that you will have throwaway or impact alignment
breakdown through the ball.
Understand that the correct right forearm position
will control your left shoulder position and help
you become a much better ball striker. With the
proper alignment, the right forearm will be down
and in front of the right hip during the impact
interval.
Finally, be sure to take time in front of a mirror
to “fix” these alignments into the proper
position and understand their relationships within
the swing. From there, you will have a blast playing
this crazy game.
